In the Second City Council District, covering the East Village, Union Square, Gramercy, part of the Lower East Side and extending up to the E. 30’s, Councilmember Rosaura “Rosie” Mendez is being opposed by Juan Pagan.

Pagan has done some good work on the local level, running community centers at the Baruch Houses and Campos Plaza, and, as a lifelong resident, he clearly cares about his neighborhood. He’s also obviously a devoted father to a developmentally disabled daughter who faces special challenges.

Yet Pagan’s candidacy doesn’t offer enough of a compelling argument for why Mendez should not be allowed a second term. Mendez, who is becoming a veritable old hand in the Council by now, is doing a very good job. She’s actively involved in important local issues, like the rezoning of the Third and Fourth Aves. corridor, and has been on top of problems, like the police targeting of gay men in video stores last year for false arrests. Mendez, who got her start as a tenant lawyer, is a staunch defender of tenants’ rights.

Mendez has delivered for her district and earned herself a second term.